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Hi my name is Katie I hope you enjoy my blog :) I talk about everything from food to politics to babies so make sure to follow me or come back and visit :)
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Friday, January 21, 2011

Church is Pointless

This is a little bit of a rant.

I wish I could get back all that time I waisted sitting in church and in Sunday school. I was Catholic and we didn’t call it Sunday school though it was on Tuesday and it was called CCD. 3pm every Tuesday after regular school my friend Tayrns (pronounced Tearin[s]) mom would pick me up. Class didn’t start untill four but Tayrns mom was also a CCD teacher so she had to be there before everyone else. I didn’t have any other ride so we would sit through the teachers meeting for half an hour then go to class for another hour. I feel like the reason no one really tells you how pointless these classes are is because no one can remember them. I sure can’t really remember what we did. I just remember begging my mom not to make me sit through those boring classes anymore.

For some reason it was required that we bring our bibles to class every week. I have no idea why because I think I only ever used mine once to kill a fly. Even if we had read from the bible I don’t think the teachers even understood what they were reading, first of all, they weren’t teachers! They were parents! A bunch of parents got together and “taught” all the kids about the bible. Ya that never happened, I never learned anything. I know more about the bible now that I’m atheist then when I was religious.

I remember bits and pieces, like being lectured at by young “hip” teens about why god was cool. One guy ate a banana with the peel still on it for some reason, something to do with god I’m sure. Never got through though, and I know it wasn’t just me. I guarantee if you took every kid who was at that “seminar” none of them would remember why he ate it only that he was stupid for doing it. That seminar was supposed to be a camping retreat for my confirmation; instead we were all packed into a school gym for ten hours with religious “councilors.” I wonder where all that money that was being donated went to?

8 years of CCD, church, special confirmation classes and a ten hour seminar later… I still wasn’t even sure what getting my confirmation even meant. Now I know, I would love to be unconfirmed. I just did what my mom told me I had to do. I got yelled at by the priests and the nuns constantly for talking too much or asking questions. Asking questions in church class is a big no no, not unless it is along the lines of “how can I blindly follow your retarded religion even more, mother of four who can’t find a real job so you take your time up here by trying to teach a bunch of little kids barbaric stories that have no historical factual basis at all?”

I only ever did any of it to please my mom really. I believed it but I thought church was bullshit. Once I didn’t have to go anymore I was so happy. I went back once after not having had gone in a while. I still felt twinges of guilt when I didn’t go for a while, so I was trying to go with my mom sometimes. All of a sudden the part of the mass where everyone says a very long prayer together began and everyone in unison without prompt started reciting this prayer: "we believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth of all that is seen and unseen…” and on and on this prayer goes about what “we” believe. It was the scariest sounding thing in the world. I felt like I was in a cult and everyone around me was reciting their brainwashed beliefs like robots. I didn't go to church unless it was a holiday after that, I just couldn’t stand sitting in that room with all those judgmental eyes on me. I had grown up in front of the church and the way it was there was you were just never doing enough. The church always needed more support more money and more young helpers. Hell no the church had nothing but make my life horrible I wanted nothing to do with them. I wish someone would have told me church was a freaking waist of time.

8 comments:

copernicus
said...

left me a comment on answers so guess il be the first one to post on ur blog thing, congrats on finding out about what religion was, and breaking away from what you were brought to believe in, and have you ever heard of the banana guy? check him out he explains that god exists because of how bananas are formed and then compares them to coke cans, funny guy

First of all learn how to spell, it's "waste" not "waist". Secondly, being Catholic and going to church is NOT a waste of time. I was baptized Catholic, received my First Holy Communion, got Confirmed AND went to a Catholic school from pre-school through 8th grade. We had daily religion classes and went to mass every Wednesday as a school. And in addition to that, during high school I joined a youth group with my friends that met up once a week. You just went to an hour long class once a week and you complained? Also, I know it's only an hour and once a week because my little sister goes to CCD since she's in public school not a Catholic school like I went to. Sure it was a pain but I wouldn't want to have it any other way. There were no nuns at my school and our church wasn't about money, it's about coming together and praising God. Honestly, how can people not believe in Him? Who do you think created the World? It surely wasn't just here. As well as all of the people, who do you think created us? I read from the scriptures and I was an alter server at my church. I did the weekly mass with my other students, Sunday masses where I would come in by myself, funerals and weddings; it was the most rewarding thing being able to help and serve God. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not some crazed Church obsessed person, but I do absolutely believe in God and NO I WAS NOT BRAINWASHED, NO CATHOLICS ARE. THIS IS WHAT WE TRULY BELIEVE IN. It sounds like you just sat there bored and wouldn't even listen or give it a chance. If you had, you'd know it's a belief, not being brainwashed. I am a practicing Catholic and not just because I was brought up that way, but because I want to be and to me, it feels like the most right thing. Like I said, I'm not obsessed though, I do believe in birth control (a lot of Catholics don't) and divorce (if it's necessary). Unlike some, I would never consider being a nun. I don't only date Catholics and I would marry outside of my religion (some are like that). I've never read the entire Bible, although I've read parts of it and I understand it. And I do not go to church every Sunday, more like one Sunday a month, if that. I pray daily though, but I do not lecture people about religion/God/beliefs. I did have to leave you a comment though because I feel you didn't even give Catholicism a chance, or any religion for that matter. And no, Atheism is not a religion, at least in my eyes it's not. It kills me that I'm younger than you and it seems like I have more of a clue than you ever will. I am well aware that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and beliefs, I'm not trying to be rude, I just don't think you gave it a chance and you certainly jumped to a conclusion saying Catholics are brainwashed. Maybe you'll realize in time, how wrong you were about the Catholic religion. Have a nice day :)

Telling you that it was a waste of time would've been pointless as your parents would either still have you go to church or usher you away as a demon-child. Overall, it's just good to get it off your mind.

As a christian (protestant based with knowledge of catholic/medieval history) going to church feels like sucking the life out of the soul. Maybe it's just that I have gone to many different ones for over 20 years and its the same generic stuff going on, brainwashing an evangelical message, protestant message, or a catholic message, which has little basis on what the Church Fathers lived for. Whatever makes you "feel good" or feel spiritual. It has little to do with what men and women had lived/died for.

It is complex to seem to share the same beliefs as the majority of people that surround me yet to still feel completely outcasted. I use to fit in those cliques and those beliefs, I have no desire for them anymore.

Maybe my prayer long ago to God to show me who He is even if it went against everything I believe in is now coming true. What I see looking back on the beliefs I was raised in, are tainted with deceit and corruption.

Sorry to hijack your post. Just wanted to say, I understand how you feel, even though I am not an atheist like yourself.

"Im younger than you and it seems like I will have more of a clue than you ever will." Really? So you're basically saying that because you are a Christian you are therefore more intelligent and mature than the girl who wrote this blog article . Its people like you who make christians so irritating, your extremely passive aggressive have a great day also rubs me the wrong way.

I realize that this is an old thread but I feel compelled to comment anyway.

I was raised a catholic, attended eight years of horrible catholic school, made to attend mass every sunday and holy days, yada, yada.As a young child I never really believed in the concept of a God and the teachings of the cathoic church. It's something that just didn't feel right to me.

As a teen I became more independent in mind and body. My parents let me decide whether or not I attended mass (of which I didn't), and it was my decision to attend a public high school which was night and day compared to the egregious catholic school system.

I knew that I was an atheist but I couldn't bear to break the news to my parents. Eventually I told my parents when I was in my mid 20s and I was surprised that my parents accepted my non belief in God without drama.

I feel fortunate to be able to enjoy life uninhibited from irrational thoughts and beliefs. I consider myself a decent, honest, respectable member of society who believes in reality, his fellow human and animals, the amazing world around around us all, the incredible universe and everything else to enjoy in this short time were alive.

I strongly disagree with the idea of an afterlife even in a non religious sense. What would be the point to keep going and going.....? We are merely evolutionary beings to be born and to die like every other living thing we know of.

Life is short. Live it strong. Live it proud. Live it with love. You only get one.